Toilet cistern parts?

My toilet has started getting difficult to flush. The mechanism is a plastic siphon one, with "Macdee" embossed in it. It's probably about ten years old. The symptom is that the handle feels light, as if it's not lifting a full charge of water into the siphon to start it. It needs many rapid pushes to tip it over the edge into flushing.

Is there a part which has worn and can be replaced, or am I looking at swapping the whole mechanism? If so, how does it detach from the bottom of the cistern?

Cheers,

Pete

Reply to
Pete Verdon
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"Pete Verdon" wrote in message news:i4kbq7$8is$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org...

My guess would be that the plastic diapragm is beginning to tear. It should be possible to replace this, but it'll depend on the design as to easily this can be done.

A DIY replacement can be made from a thick sheet of polythene (ex bag of compost, heavy duty plstic sheeting of similar).

Reply to
OG

First: Check inside and make sure the handle is still turning the plunger lifting pin (1/4" square bar usually). It (one of the plastic couplers) may have rounded off and be slipping.

If that looks OK (ie is lifting the flush plunger 2-3", then it's most likely the flap valve on the plunger (older were sometimes rubber sheet, these days seems to be very thin plastic. If a bit of that fell off, you will get the symptoms you are describing.

You'd have to remove it to fix assuming you can get a part, so may as well replace.

Close coupled or joined with a flush pipe?

If flush pipe:

After the handle is disconnected, the only fixture is through the bottom - there's a big plastic nut on a large plastic thread with a second nut on a plastic compression joint round the flush pipe. Turn of mains feed or tie up ballcock, empty cistern, undo lower nut - no need to remove flush pipe, just loosen it.

Then bigger nut off. Subject to silicone or scale, the flush mechanism ought to lift out from the inside (you did empty the water out didn't you!)

Replacement is the opposite - units are pretty standard. Smear of Fernox LS- X on both sides of the rubber washer that seals the mechanism to the bottom inside of the cistern can make life easier for preventing leaks. Do plastic nuts up hand tight, no more. Use a spanner on the main retaining nut just to eliminate the final drips. It's too easy to break plastic threads, so I always under tighten then tweak up till it works, but strong-hand tight is safe enough on those large threads.

For close coupled, someone else will be along: I never touched one...

Reply to
Tim Watts

Diaphragm in the siphon has split. Common problem.

You can buy a replacement diaphragm for about £3 in Wickes/B&Q. However, a new siphon is only around £9 and you have to do exactly the same thing to change either, so replace the siphon.

You don't say if its close coupled (cistern mounted directly on pan) or low level (cistern connected to pan by pipe).

Let me know & I'll give you detailed instructions.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Cheers - sounds about right. My "how does everything work" book when I was about 9 showed a rigid plate being lifted (presumably the Victorian approach?) and not having had to look inside one since, I didn't realise that they actually used diaphragms.

Thanks. I'm fairly sure it's close-coupled (not right by it to check).

Pete

(Thanks for other replies as well)

Reply to
Pete Verdon

Good timing - mine has just started doing the same thing.

I could, and I've done this before. However, we've been forced onto a water meter and have two kids in the house, I'm wondering if there is a dual flush syphon thinger that is a suitable replacement?

Any recomendations? Or should I avoid like the plague and keep it simple?

Mines close coupled - done plenty of the others, never fiddled with a close coupled one so I'll be interested in pointers :)

Darren

Reply to
D.M.Chapman

Mine is single flush, brand new - though it is for a high level chain pull cistern.

Reply to
Tim Watts

All the ones I've fitted in the last few years have been - two holes & a bung as you describe.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

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